The bonds of gratitude
by Tregetma
Summary: A/U B/V fic. It starts kind of following the time line and that will be the same for the first 2 or three chapters to introduce my idea, but then it will move to the A/U part and everything will be dandy. Bulma is captured as a slave and brought to Vegetas home planet. Vegeta is there, he recognizes her .. That's when he realizes he is bound by gratitude to protect her.
1. Playing nurse

_Hellooo amigos :) .. I've been throwing around the idea for an A/U B/V fic for a while .. well actually lots of different ones but ill focus on them later. No I have not forgotten my other one, i will complete it .. I'm just not very motivated right now because I'm sick .. and stuff .. Anyway I've been reading these A/U ones all day and i thought it was interesting .. So on and on we go ! This chapter is basically explaining stuff because i had this idea today when i was in a place i couldn't write it down and i haven't really planned how I'm going to put it into words, but I'm in the mood to write now so decipher it how you will._

Disclaimer-_I do not own dragon ball z, I wish i did, but i dont. I just borrow the characters for my own entertainment ;)_

_Namek~Frieza Saga~ Vegeta has been injured, and left for dead .. Bulma finds him._

She could see the rise and fall of his chest, indicating he was still alive. The breathing was erratic and labored, she could tell he wouldn't last long without assistance. Bulma had learned a few things from Gohan about the Saiyan in front of her. She had learned of his fathers betrayal to him, handing him to the lizard lord, the destruction of his planet and people, The unbearable torture he had been subjected to. Watching him, this person that had killed her friends who had killed her beloved, She should leave him, maybe even kill him for his sins, but she couldn't.

Her reasoning behind her decision was simple. She couldn't kill someone so defenseless, someone that never had a , he had spared her and Krillins lives, She could return the favor. She awkwardly stumbled over to the prince. His face was bruised and cut in many places and his skin charred on the sides. She sucked in a breath for this poor creature. She put a hand to the side of his face and slowly turned his face to the side. Although he was slowly dying, he still had the strength to reach up and grab her wrist, his eyes squinted half open and his eyes lost a little of their cloudiness. 'Wha-' He was cut off from the flow of blood that shot out of his mouth. Bulma lifted his chest up so he could spew all the blood out.

She laid him back down and reached into her pocket. She threw a capsule to the side and got out medical supplies. She tended to his wounds as best she could and then she threw another capsule, a capsulated house. He needed rest, that much she knew. Now Bulma was a genius, no doubt about that, She was also an exceptionally gorgeous female, that much nobody could deny. But when it came to physical strength she was somewhat lacking. That being said she did her best, she figured since he was not even conscious he wouldn't object to being dragged on the ground, so that's what she did.

Four days passed before Vegeta showed any signs of stirring. Bulma had been vigilant to his wounds, even after knowing Goku so long it was a shock to her how quickly Saiyans healed. She was sitting on the floor with her head leaning against the side of the bed while he was sleeping. She was doodling on the side of her plans for stronger GR's. She started the drift to sleep, her pencil dropping to the floor and landing almost soundlessly. Apparently not soundlessly enough.

Vegeta shot straight up and knocked her head sideways. It cracked off the metal desk next to the bed. 'WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK!' She shouted, Jumping up and feeling the back of her head. Sure enough there was a hot stickiness there. She disappeared into the bathroom momentarily and came out holding a wet cloth to the back of her head. She shot daggers at Vegeta who had been watching her with his dark, fathomless eyes. She sat back down in her position on the floor, but twisted her head to look over at him. He was silent for another few minutes, then he spoke.'You are the female that was with the bald man'. His voice was void of emotion, he didn't sound angry, sad .. anything. 'Krillin'. she said softly, thinking of her friend. 'What am I doing here' he said with a slight edge to his voice, as if he expected Bulma to attack him any second. She deliberated over her answer. 'Well I found you, and i was damn certain you wouldn't survive without help, so I helped'. She spoke as if this should be obvious to him.

'I could kill you right now without straining myself' he said in a conversationalists tone, as if he was discussing the weather. She gulped, 'I know that, I knew the risks, I'm just hoping you wont'. She tried to keep the shake of fear out of her voice. He looked over at her, staring her right in the eye. 'I didn't ask for your help woman' He lifted a hand and Bulma flinched, shutting her eyes and lifting her hands to defend herself. He didn't do anything, just placed his hand lightly on top of her head and said almost softly 'I didn't ask for it, but that makes your act even more charitable'. His eyes took a distant look as he said his next sentence. 'The Saiyans may be wiped out, I may be the only true Saiyan left, but i still remember our customs. I still have my honor'. He shook his head of a memory and looked at her again, his face sneering and his eyes burning into hers. When he spoke it was with a snarl. 'But my good mood might not last, I suggest you get out of here little one'. Bulma didn't need to be told twice. She gathered her capsules, thankful she had the hindsight to pack more than one house, and left there as fast as she could, finding a nice little cave for herself.

As she left she didn't notice the princes dark eyes on her, wondering why he hadn't killed the frail creature. She had saved his life that was true but he felt it was weak of him to have let her go. The only thing that had stopped him was the memory of his mother telling him of the battle she had fought, where an alien had saved her, and the gratitude she had felt. 'Gratitude isn't a weakness son, sometimes you just cant do it alone' She had said seriously. Vegeta didn't follow much of the Saiyans anymore, even less of his parents, but he was a boy that had always listened to his Mama.


	2. The wish

_Hmmmm I few things I need to make clear. Bear in mind its very very late, And I'm so very very tired so if I leave stuff out, please tell me. Okay a couple of changes I've made. Vegeta didn't die on Namek, Goku killed Frieza with Vegetas help before Frieza could destroy Namek, so there's no need to move the Namekian's to earth. Goku's ship has a gravity room in a separate part of the ship instead of the whole ship, Other wise Bulma would be dead within five minutes of being on the ship with Vegeta and we'd have no story... I think that's everything .. Probably not but a girl can dream ... Oh and thank you to all who are reading this and whatnot , Very much appreciated :)_

He didn't see her again until Frieza's downfall, Well he saw her, but he didn't focus on her. She was there when Frieza had been dealt the killing blow. Vegeta couldn't help but admire how she hadn't run, or even seemed remotely shocked by the murder, She had a sense of gritty determination about her, it was most.. appealing. She had come out of her hiding spot and hugged her best friend, not afraid, not even wary of the fact that 5 minutes ago he had been blasting a hole through an alien. It was her that had brought up their next dilemma.. What to do about the dragon balls ? Summon the dragon of course, and revive all the casualties, but after that ?

The time came for Porunga to be summoned and what a summoning it was!, The Namekian dragon was so different to Shenron, so much larger, so much more threatening! Little Dende was acting as the translator. After brief discussions Bulma whispered the first wish to Dende. 'I wish for all the people killed by Frieza to be brought back to life'. Dende relayed this wish to Porunga. The enormous dragon nodded once and said in his ethereal voice 'It is done'. Bulma again leaned into Dende and whispered in his ear. 'I wish for all the people on king Kai's planet right now, apart from king Kai to be brought back to life' Dende again spoke up to the dragon and once again he nodded his alligator like head. Bulma turned to the rest of the group, they weren't exactly sure what to use for their third wish. Bulma had an idea but she couldn't be sure if it was the right thing to do, It might blow up in her face . She quickly decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

She turned to her group of friends and cleared her throat. They all turned and looked expectantly at her. She faltered for a minute. 'Well I was thinking I mean ... We got to wish everyone we love back and well Vegeta helped us against Frieza, So maybe we should give the last wish to him ?, He could have his planet and his people back, Like we got ours back'. She blushed a little saying this, keeping her eyes on a most interesting piece of ground.

Vegetas head snapped up, Unsure if he had heard the woman right. Wish his people back ?, Was it possible ?. While he was pondering this a booming voice from above started talking impatiently. 'Make your last wish now or wish for nothing, I want to return to my slumber'. He noticed the woman flinch at the sound of the the dragons impatience. He kept silent, watching Kakarrot from the corner of his eye, Judging his reaction to the woman's words. The oaf looked confused for a few seconds before smiling and turning to Vegeta. 'Sure Vegeta, go for it I mean without you we wouldn't be alive'. Vegeta nodded, then turned to the woman and nodded again. He walked up to the tiny Namekian and leaned in, noticing the little ones unease he chuckled softly.'Tell the dragon i wish for Planet Vegeta and all its inhabitants to be wished back'. Dende stepped sideways a little to get away from the prince and spoke to the dragon. The dragon looked a little annoyed at such a large request but nodded nonetheless.

The dragon left them and Vegeta stood shaken. Could his planet really be back ?, His race returned to its former glory, Could he have somewhere he would be worshiped rightfully ? He smirked a little at the thought of his homecoming, how he would be treated like a god for getting the planet back, How people would bow at- His thoughts were broken off by a delicate throat clearing. He looked up to find the woman staring at him, a slight red tinge to her cheeks.

'Umm Vegeta..'She started nervously. 'Are you coming back to earth'? He scoffed at her. 'Of course not foolish Onna, I will return to my planet'. He caught what he thought was slight disappointment in her eyes and it unnerved him. She nodded slowly. 'Yes I thought so, But what I was wondering is how are you going to get there?'. Vegeta stopped to think, He hadn't planned any of this out yet, He knew after his landing his ship would be in no condition to leave, He could only assume the woman had a solution, since she was bringing it up. 'I do not know Onna, Why don't you tell me ?' He said in a deliberately calm voice. He had perfected that tone, The tone that told people he could snap at any second if his demands were not met.

She surprisingly showed no fear, although he did see her eyes flicker to Kakarrots momentarily, Probably thinking no harm could befall on her while her protector was around, he sneered at her. She blinked for a second noticing the change in his facial expression. She started thinking out loud as she mulled possibilities over in her mind. 'Okay two functioning ships, not enough capacity to transport everyone in one ship and give Vegeta the other.. Maybe I could assign a programmer ... No no that wouldn't work.. Hmmm would they agree to that?' 'Out with it woman!', He said impatiently. She blinked owlishly at him, her wide blue eyes only then focusing back to the people around her.

'To put it plainly, There isn't enough room in one ship for all of us so we cant give you your own ship'. Vegeta grunted at this. 'The only way I can see this working is if everyone except for myself and Vegeta goes home in the ship Me, Gohan and Krillin came in, And me and Vegeta take Goku's ship, since I'm the only one that actually knows how to fly them, I can take a minor detour, drop Vegeta off at his planet and be home in no time'. She broke out in a winning smile, contemplating her own genius. Goku began to frown. He didn't like it, didn't like it one bit. He would trust Vegeta with his own life, but he didn't know was he ready to but Bulmas safety at risk. Vegeta apparently caught onto Goku's train of thought because he turned to him and sneered waspishly, 'I will not harm your woman Kakarrot, if she is my only means of getting to my planet'. Bulma looked at Goku and grinned as if to say 'I already thought of this dummy'. Goku nodded slowly, 'I suppose... And shes not my woman in that way Vegeta, I have Chi Chi'. Vegeta looked shocked momentarily 'Is this woman not the mother of your brat?'. Bulmas giggled and looked playfully at Goku, 'He wishes' She said, blowing kisses at him. Goku let out a bark of laughter and turned to Vegeta. 'I'm assuming that answered your question?'.

Before Vegeta could answer him a small groan interrupted the conversation. The youthful look on Goku's face vanished and he smacked his forehead with his palm. 'Damn it I forgot about Piccolo ! We need to get out of here!'. Bulma nodded grimly and stalked onto the ship, She came out again after 5 minutes and said 'Coordinates are set, you just need to press the button for blast off'. She smiled at her best friend, Before her face slightly crumpled and she launched herself at him. She hugged him fiercely around the neck and wrapped her legs around his waist in a bear hug. On other people, it may have been a amorous hug, but to them it was all friendship. 'Be safe' she whispered quietly in his ear, But Vegetas keen ears picked up on it. Goku nodded and set her down. He threw a quick smile her way and walked onto the ship, The last thing they heard from him was a hastily thrown 'Have fun guys!' before the ship started to shake. Vegeta, sensing danger started to back up, He grabbed the woman's wrist and pulled her out of the ships danger zone.

She started laughing and turned to Vegeta, her eyes bright and luminous. 'He's such an idiot sometimes, doesn't even wait until people are out of the way before blasting off'. Vegeta just grunted in response. The ship was quite a bit away from them, walking it would take at least a couple of hours. Vegeta of course had no intention of walking. He started to rise into the air, fully prepared to take off for the ship, assuming the female would be behind him when he was jolted by her sharp screech. 'Vegeta I cant fly you..umm, You silly thing' She trailed off weakly, as if only just realizing she was about insult a man that could snap her neck in two without breaking a sweat. He looked at her in wonder. Here was a woman, apparently a technological genius, blasting off into space with fighters on a life threatening mission... And she couldn't fly. He almost laughed aloud at the idiocy of it. Instead he returned to the ground and nodded, Walked over to her and slung her over his shoulder. He heard the unladylike 'Ooof' Sound she made when her midsection made contact with his shoulder and he smirked. Then he took off for the ship. He listened to her muttering to herself.. Something about there being no chance of a bridal style carrying. He didn't understand what she meant but it was amusing to listen to her grumble anyway.

They reached the ship in record time. Upon landing he dropped her. Not a help down, not even a landing on her feet no he just dropped her!. She had landed on her bottom, Her face going red with anger. She said nothing to him, just stalked past him and went straight for the control room. This was the tricky part, where she needed his help. Much as she didn't want to talk to him right then she had to get his planets coordinates. She whistled, Hoping he would get the message, also liking the way she could call him like a dog, without his knowledge. He appeared in the doorway, one eyebrow raised a slight smirk on his lips. 'You called?' He said sarcastically. She nodded and said in an icy tone 'I need your planets coordinates'. He nodded and rattled them off. She set their course and pointed him in the direction of the gravity room inbuilt in the ship. She walked over to the bedroom and realized there was only one bed. She was too tired to deal with this right now, once she woke up they would deal with it, but for now she needed rest.

_I am not pleased with this chapter, I rewrote it a couple of times but i cant seem to get it right, I realize some things aren't going to make sense right now, and I will more than likely explain them in the next chapter.. When I am not dying from exhaustion and it isn't half one at night. Anyway any questions ask them away!, Oh and for people that do be complaining about my paragraphs.. I have no method to them, When i think one is too long i move on to the next one.. Asking me to fix it ?.. Weeelll In the words of Sheldon.. I would if i could, But i cant so i shan't :)_


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